i've been running a 1st gen 3sge in a 91 mr2 for about a year now. i really like this engine. i know there are better options for a swap and i'm not recommending doing this at all. i'll just say it works for me.

several months ago i picked up a rebuilt head and it's a good thing i did because i spit a shim and tore up my exhaust cam. the intake cam is bad as well, the shim was dished out and the lobe rounded down.

the new head has a mild port and polish, 3 angle valve grind and it's decked. according to the guy i got it from it's decked for an oem head gasket. i assume he meant a head gasket equal to the same thickness.

i got everything ready to swap this head, i'm looking for suggestions as to which head gasket and bolts to use. cometic with arp bolts seems like overkill and it's a bit pricey.

i want to do this right without breaking the bank. any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks for reading this.

Grot

03-30-2009, 07:56 PM

OEM on both should get you fine.

This engine came in 86-89 Celica GTS.

joe's gt

03-30-2009, 09:37 PM

You don't need a metal headgasket unless you plan on pushing high boost. OEM headgastket will seal better and be totally fine for light modifications. I think what he meant when he says it was decked for OEM was that not enough metal was taken off for you to require a thicker headgasket.

I would get the ARP head bolts/studs though for the piece of mind. OEM headgasket with that should work out fine. Just my .02

Oh and you might need to retap the threads in the block. When I did my arp studs, a bunch of them didn't screw in cleanly. One quick 10mm tap fixed that tho.

mike perkins

03-31-2009, 03:50 AM

oem it is. thanks for the tip on cleaning up the threads.

one of my favorite driving experiences was with a new 87 gts. a friend of mine's wife worked for a toyota dealer and let us take one for an extended test drive. what a great car!

tekstep01

04-25-2009, 08:45 AM

hey that was my Second car 87 gts hatchi R.I.P!
gotta love that first impression, never owned another model since...
maby thats why i have a whole little junkyard of st162 parts in my back yard....

schnee

05-21-2009, 07:59 PM

You don't say what the cams are, there is a solution to the spitting shim problem-